


The Demon That Came When Called

by Psychadelico



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Chara Being Chara, Deconstruction, Game Spoilers, Gen, Implied Violence, Meta, POV Original Character, Pre-Canon, Should not require previous knowledge of game, Soft Chara, Xenofiction (Non-human POV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-01-05
Packaged: 2018-05-11 20:51:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,821
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5641465
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Psychadelico/pseuds/Psychadelico
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Do not cry, my Hero.  Heroes don’t cry.  They Fight.  They vanquish Evil to gain EXP.  They use EXP to gain LV.  They use LV to gain power, in many forms:  ATK, DEF, HP…  They use that power to vanquish still greater Evil, until they Win, and there is no more Evil in the world, and everything is alright.   These are The Rules. They will guide you and protect you. You are meant to Win.  Always know that the world makes sense. " </p>
<p>These words are not spoken, because such a monolog is not part of The Script.  They are not thought, because thinking is not part of The Rules.  But even so, the child understands, and smiles.</p>
<p>"Yes.  It will also be fun.  That is the point."</p>
<p>The child does not know what to think, and the creature doesn’t know how, and so it never occurs to either of them to ask:  “But what if there is no Evil to vanquish?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Demon That Came When Called

**Author's Note:**

> Because apparently I am incapable of believing anyone is evil. Even eldritch abominations.
> 
> Intended as something of an "origin story" for Chara. 
> 
> Heavily involves (and to certain extent, deconstructs) RPG mechanics and tropes.

The creature has traveled as long as it has existed, in this semantic void between worlds.  It is, not seeking, but drifting towards a new home.  A world where it can insert itself, and flourish, its children to drift the void again.  A world to fit its patterns.  By force, if need be.

It is not malevolent, because malice requires thought, and the creature does not think, any more than the bacteria flailing its flagella thinks, or the virus floating through intracellular space.  But it is inflexible.

It is not really a creature at all, but a collection of Rules: concepts and story beats and two-and-three-lettered variables.  It is the way the world should be.  “ _The way the world is_.” it would think, if it could.

It senses a world where it can thrive.  _Where it is needed_.  And it is drawn to it.

**...**

A child, crying.  Their home lies destroyed before them, they themselves spared only by some twist of fate or moment of childish disobedience.  Yes, this follows The Rules.  The destruction is likely the work of the Dark Lord. There is always a Dark Lord.  It’s part of The Rules.

The creature touches the child’s mind:

_Do not cry, my Hero.  Heroes don’t cry.  They Fight.  They vanquish Evil to gain EXP.  They use EXP to gain LV.  They use LV to gain power, in many forms:  ATK, DEF, HP…  They use that power to vanquish still greater Evil, until they Win, and there is no more Evil in the world, and everything is alright._

_You will help many People in your Quest.  You will know them by their pleas for aid, and by the way they cannot be Fought.  They will give you Items in exchange for GOLD.  Of all the beings you meet, they are the only ones guaranteed to not be Evil._

_You will meet many Friends in your journey. You will know them by the way they travel inside of you, or follow behind you, all in formation.  Sometimes you will need to Fight them, but worry not.  If they are not Evil, they will not be vanquished. ~~~~_

_These are The Rules. They will guide you and protect you. You are meant to Win.  Always know that the world makes sense._

These words are not spoken, because such a monolog is not part of The Script.  They are not thought, because thinking is not part of The Rules.  But even so, the child understands, and smiles.

_Yes.  It will also be fun.  That is the point._

Its wisdom imparted, the creature speaks the first words of The Script:

“WHAT IS YOUR NAME?: ______”

And the child chooses.

**...**

The child does not know what to think, and the creature doesn’t know how, and so it never occurs to either of them to ask:  “But what if there is no Evil to vanquish?”

**...**

Things are not going as planned. 

For one, the Hero has yet to start their Quest.  Instead, they were adopted. But not by hermits or magical beings or some secret cult, as dictated by The Rules, but by People the Hero already knew, from their own town, even.  What is a Hero to learn from shop-tenders?  All they do now is garden.  The Hero has yet to gain any LV.

The Hero will not stop crying.  Do they still miss their old family?  They shouldn’t.  It is not part of The Rules to mourn.  _Heroes don’t cry._ the creature insists _. They Fight. Heroes don’t cry. Heroes don’t cry!_

Or maybe they cry for other reasons?  The People found the Hero odd.  The Hero rarely ate.  _Why should you? Your HP is still at max._ They hardly ever slept.   They walked through snow and ice and rain without ever seeming to notice it.  All perfectly sensible. People were not supposed to mind these things.  

The Hero eventually starts laughing instead, and the creature settles down.  There is nothing in The Rules about laughing.

**...**

A group of children approach the Hero.  A nice, low LV Encounter.  The children taunt and jeer.

The Hero tenses.  _No. Hear them out. It is The Rules. They may not be Evil._ And the Hero does so, never speaking, barely moving.  Finally, a child tosses a stone.  They attacked.   _And that is_ _the surest sign of Evil._

But even Evil is not behaving properly.  They scream and cry and beg for mercy when Fought.  The screams of Evil and those of the Hero mix in the cold morning air.

The creature is not confused. It can’t be. But pieces of itself are grinding up against each other in ways they never have before.

The Hero’s new family is angry.  They yell, and shout, and lock the Hero away.  The Hero laughs. 

“A demon…” they whisper where they think they can’t be heard. “What to do with them? What to do?” 

Why are they angry? Why do they shun the Hero?  They should be celebrating the vanquishing of Evil. The only way it could possibly make sense…

_Is if they are Evil as well._

**...**

Finally things are following The Rules.

The entire town had been Evil, as it turned out.  The Hero Fought the false family, but was forced to Flee. They were too strong. _For now. You will be back.  You will Win._

Now the creature heard whispers from all across the town.  “First that poor child, now this…” “…Not even human...” “We’ll be next.”  They came for the Hero.

The Hero learned to Save and Load that day.

But the Hero did finally escape.  Down this street, make a left, too many people.  Down this street, make a right, up the next, hop the fence.  Hop the fence, dodge the dog. Up another street, across the river, up the slope on the other side, the town left behind now, still looking for the Hero.

They had escaped. They were free.  

And then they fall down a hole in the mountain. 

**...**

They are adopted by a loving, if odd, couple. They learn all about things and People (monsters, they call themselves) that they never even knew existed.  Their best friend is the heir to the throne. Everything is stable, happy even. It’s perfect. 

It’s not the Quest the creature had anticipated, but that’s okay.  Parts shift inside itself.

The creature knows what happens next.

_Evil will come. They will come and destroy all this. And then your Quest will begin._

The Hero understands.

**...**

The Hero is dead. 

Truly dead.  The kind of death that no Revive could heal, that Loading would only cause to repeat.  They hadn’t followed The Rules. They hadn’t waited for their Quest to begin.  Instead, they sacrificed themselves, to give their power to another.

Golden flowers.  The Hero had once fed them to their new father, and he had taken ill.   _Take note. Those inflict Poison. That will be useful, when your Quest begins._   The Hero laughed. There was nothing in The Rules about laughter.

The Hero ate the golden flowers, and now their HP drained, tick by tick.  Everyone wished them to get better.

The mother:  “Can you hear me? We want you to wake up.”

The Hero could, but did not.

The father:  “Stay determined!  You can’t give up…  You are the future of humans and monsters.”

The Hero was, and did not, and knew, and ate more flowers.

The prince:  “Please… wake up… I don’t like this plan anymore... No…  I said I’d never doubt you.”

The Hero was grateful.

_You can’t die!  This is not how Heroes die!_

The creature could not see, but felt the glare nonetheless.

_This is not how you Win._

As the Hero died, they gave their power to the prince, and asked them to return to the surface town.    It was now the prince’s duty to vanquish Evil, to make the world safe.  Carrying the former Hero, in their arms and heart, they returned to the surface. They were attacked, but despite their power, the prince refused to Fight. They did not know The Rules, and that day they died as well.

The creature is not annoyed. It can’t be (can it?).  But its processes have stopped and started so many times now.  Something is missing. Some guiding force for which The Rules are second-nature. Maybe, one day, it will come?

For now, there is a new Hero. A flower.  Strange, but odder things have happened already.

**...**

The Hero awakens.

They lie in a bed of flowers.  No, not them.  But also them?  The creature is no less confused (but it can’t be confused?  Was that the first Hero it felt?).  Another new Hero?  And is that a third, the creature feels, tickling it from the edges of reality?

It doesn’t matter.  It is another chance.  The flower was not a good Hero. It didn’t know how to Win.  But this time things will work.  It has to. It has been too long.  Too many false starts, too many Resets.  The creature is close to falling apart. At least one of these Heroes must know The Rules.  One of these will finally guide it to the end.

It has been so long, and so it starts the Script anew.

“NAME THE FALLEN HUMAN: ______”

And something chooses.

**...**

                                                                                                                                                                                

Froggit.

Froggit.

Compliment.  Spare.

Fight. Fight. Fight. 

Again it didn’t work.

This time it worked.

The Heroes did not Fight, even when attacked. 

The Heroes were reticent at first, but ultimately played their part.

 They Fought Evil, and grew stronger for it.  

Instead, they Spared, using options that surely had never existed before.

(Was that the first Hero’s doing?).  

The Evil was not vanquished, it simply… left. 

They scoured every corner of the world until there was nothing left that could hurt them.

There was no EXP, no LV.

There had been no People or Friends.

And yet, everyone was happy?  The new Hero was happy. And so was the first.  The third? 

But the Rules never failed. Everything was as it should be.

Even the Evil discussed their futures.

(Or were they Friends?)

(The creature could not be confused, but pieces of itself that had never even touched now merged together)

The sun was rising, the music somber, but hopeful.

Or not?  Something falls into place within its workings, and

for the first time in its existence, the creature thinks.

There was a Rule for situations like this.   

_“There are no heroes.”_ it thinks, in the voice of the first Hero.  “ _Only me. The demon.”_

_The Last Rule._

“ _The demon that comes when people call its name…_

_HP. ATK. DEF. GOLD. EXP. LV._

_Every time a number increases, that feeling is me…_

_Let us send this world back into the abyss._ ”

_Roll credits._

And then the creature Fought itself.

The creature settles into something like sleep, its functions exhausted, for the moment. 

 

_The Heroes had Won._

**_..._ **

**_..._ **

**...**

Only one question now:    Reset?

But that wasn’t the creature’s choice to make.

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback appreciated. The ending, especially, was tricky, trying to portray both runs of the game without "canonizing" one or the other.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed.


End file.
